Nitecore EDC23 Saber Flashlight Review

Nitecore EDC23 Saber Flashlight Review

The Nitecore EDC23 Saber flashlight offers two NiteLab UHi 25 emitters, a proximity sensor, and USB-C charging. All in a nice tiny “tactical” package!


Official Specs and Features

Here’s a link to the Nitecore EDC23 Saber flashlight product page.

Versions

There’s just one version of the Nitecore EDC23 Saber flashlight.

Price

NitecoreStore.com has the Nitecore EDC23 Saber flashlight for $74.95 right now. This appears to be the MSRP. It’s also available on Amazon.com for the same price! (Referral link).


What’s Included

Nitecore EDC23 Saber flashlight what's included

  • Nitecore EDC23 Saber flashlight
  • Charging cable (USB to USB-C)
  • Lanyard
  • Manual etc

Package and Manual

Nitecore EDC23 Saber flashlight box

Nitecore EDC23 Saber flashlight manual

Nitecore EDC23 Saber flashlight quick start

Build Quality and Disassembly

Nitecore EDC23 Saber flashlight

There’s a whole lot about the Nitecore EDC23 Saber flashlight that’s just like the bigger EDC27 UHi. I’ve reviewed that one, too. Both are very solid lights! Just like the EDC27 UHi, the Nitecore EDC23 Saber flashlight has a metal body. In fact, it’s stainless steel, and the steel is coated with “titanium-colored PVD.” It’s a nice look. Also, it feels great to use!

I didn’t do any disassembly on the Nitecore EDC23 Saber flashlight at all. It does look to be held together with a number of TORX screws, though! Unlike the bigger variants, this one has just 4 screws per side (not 6).

Nitecore EDC23 Saber flashlight screws

Both sides of the Nitecore EDC23 Saber flashlight have this grip. I quite like it just for texture; I can’t say that it adds a ton of grip. These pads are metal, too.

Nitecore EDC23 Saber flashlight side grips

Size and Comps

-4.05″ x W-1.30″ x H-0.89″
Weight 3.56 oz

If the flashlight will headstand, I’ll show it here (usually the third photo). If the flashlight will tailstand, I’ll also show that (usually in the fourth photo).

Nitecore EDC23 Saber flashlight in hand

Here’s the test light with the venerable Convoy S2+. The version below is a custom laser-engraved Convoy S2+ host by GadgetConnections.com. I did a full post on an engraved orange host right here! Or go straight to GadgetConnections.com to buy your Convoy S2+ now!

Also above is the light beside a TorchLAB BOSS 35, an 18350 light. I reviewed the aluminum version of that light in both 35 and 70 formats. I also reviewed that specific edition, the “Oveready BOSS FT Collector Vintage Brass” 35. I love it!

Retention and Carry

This pocket clip that ships attached is extraordinarily beefy! It’s so peculiar, in fact, that I feel like it probably fits some role I just don’t even know about – like it’s utility-built and fits some specific [whatever] [wherever].

Regardless of whether that’s fact or imagination, it’s a great clip and very secure. The clip has a number of holes, too, including this loop, which seems ideal for attaching the included lanyard.

Nitecore EDC23 Saber flashlight lanyard

That’s it for included carry options.

Power and Runtime

Nitecore says the EDC23 Saber flashlight runs a 1500mAh 5.55Wh battery but doesn’t say much else. It’s certainly a built-in LiPO and is not intended for exchange by the user. It’s not field serviceable!

Nitecore EDC23 Saber flashlight internal battery details

I tested the top three modes, including Turbo, which resets (or steps down) in relation to heat build up. So Turbo can last a second or less, or whatever, but let me tell you: it can get hot. Very hot.

Nitecore EDC23 Saber flashlight runtime charts

Turbo steps down to whatever the previous mode was. So in many of the cases below, that was “off.” But it could also be any other mode, including High as seen in a couple of those blips below.

Because Turbo is “momentary only” (not strictly momentary, but throttled by how much Turbo the battery can withstand), I hesitate to really call this a “2500” lumen light. Yes, it peaks near that, but at 30 seconds, we really have to regard what the output on High is. That’s still plenty respectable, at around 1100 lumens.

Nitecore EDC23 Saber flashlight runtime charts

The graph does indicate that there’s a bit of active management of output to manage heat.

Nitecore EDC23 Saber flashlight runtime charts

Nitecore EDC23 Saber flashlight runtime charts

The Nitecore EDC23 Saber flashlight has a proximity sensor, too. Normally I’d fuss about it until checking the manual to see how to turn it off. In this case, I wasn’t bothered by it, and then I checked the manual to see how to turn it off, and it’s possible. I don’t love the sensor, but I really never had any problem with it.

I wasn’t able to check the battery voltage after a test, but the OLED does display that information. According to the OLED, the Nitecore EDC23 Saber flashlight does have low voltage protection.

Charging

The Nitecore EDC23 Saber flashlight has built-in charging by way of a USB-C charging port in the tail near the switches. A press-in cover protects this charging port.

Nitecore EDC23 Saber flashlight charging port

An appropriate cable is included: USB to USB-C. While charging, the OLED displays battery voltage.

Nitecore EDC23 Saber flashlight charging cable

Charging is quick! The rate is around 1.5A and in total takes only around 1.25 hours. That’s great! USB-C and USB charge about the same.

Nitecore EDC23 Saber flashlight charging chart

​When charging is complete, the OLED displays 4.2V.

Modes and Currents

Mode Mode Claimed Output (lm) Claimed Runtime Measured Lumens
Turbo 2500 2400 (0s)
0 (30s)
High 1100 1h30m 1129
Mid 200 3h45m 204
Low 65 11h 65.8
Ultralow 15 39h 15.5

Pulse Width Modulation

Interestingly, Turbo does use PWM. I can’t really explain that. It’s fast PWM, and Turbo is so brief anyway that you’re unlikely to notice it. In fact I’d say it’d be impossible for you to notice it!

Here you can see a “baseline” – a chart with almost no light hitting the sensor. Then there’s the Ultrafire WF-602C flashlight, which has some of the worst PWM I’ve seen. It’s so bad that I used a post about it to explain PWM! Here are multiple timescales (10ms, 5ms, 2ms, 1ms, 0.5ms, 0.2ms) to make comparing this “worst” PWM light to the test light easier. That post also explains why I didn’t test the WF-602C at the usual 50us scale.

User Interface and Operation

Two switches control the EDC23 Saber flashlight. There’s a power switch – you can see it below on the top. The other bigger and flatter switch is a mode switch. Both are e-switches.

Nitecore EDC23 Saber flashlight switch

Nitecore EDC23 Saber flashlight switch actuation

Nitecore EDC23 Saber flashlight switch actuation

Here’s a user interface table!

State Action Result
Off Click Power Switch On (Mode memory)
Off Hold power switch (half press) Momentary Ultralow
On Click power switch Off
On Half press (and hold) power switch (if OLED is active) Momentary Ultralow
Off Half press power switch (if OLED is not active) Activate OLED display – Continued half presses advance the modes without the light being on
Off Full press power switch On in mode memory or purposefully selected mode (see steps in previous row)
Unlocked or Lockout 1 Half press mode switch Momentary Turbo
Unlocked or Lockout 1 Full press mode switch Momentary Strobe
On Half press (click action) power switch Mode advance (Excluding turbo)
Off Full press mode button and slide lock Semi Lockout (Lockout 1). Light is on in Strobe for as long as the press action takes.
On Half press mode button and slide lock Semi Lockout (Lockout 1). Light is on in Turbo for as long as the press action takes.
Any Slide lock to locked position Full Lockout (Lockout 2).
Lockout 2 Any button No change in state. OLED will still display battery information.
Lockout 1 Power button No change in state. OLED will still display battery information.

LED and Beam

The Nitecore EDC23 Saber flashlight uses two Nitelab UHi 25 emitters. They’re cool white but do provide nice high output.

Nitecore EDC23 Saber flashlight emitter details

Nitecore EDC23 Saber flashlight emitters on

Nitecore EDC23 Saber flashlight emitters on

LED Color Report (CRI and CCT)

CCT and CRI are as expected (probably) for such light. It’s high output! That often (and also here) comes with higher CCT (cool white, in this case) and a low CRI of around 67. Because of the brief duration of Turbo and how my sensor works, I wasn’t able to get a reading for Turbo.

Beamshots

These beamshots are always with the following settings:  f8, ISO100, 0.3s shutter, and manual 5000K exposure. These photos are taken at floor level and the beam hits the ceiling around 9 feet away.

Tint vs BLF-348 (KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b version) (affiliate link)

I keep the test flashlight on the left, and the BLF-348 reference flashlight on the right. These photos are taken around 18 inches from the door.

I compare everything to the KillzoneFlashlights.com 219b BLF-348 because it’s inexpensive and has the best tint!

Summary and Conclusion

The Nitecore EDC23 Saber flashlight is pretty neat, just like the previous iteration and many of the other rectangular lights. I like the slim nature of the light, much in the same way that I liked the Olight Arkfeld. Output is staggering from this (ultimately) tiny light, but the stepdowns on Turbo are unsurprisingly quick. The user interface is pretty good, and the OLED display is fairly well utilized, too. It’s a solid light! I am particularly pleased that this is a smaller version of the slim light. It really hits a great spot for carry!

The Big Table

Nitecore EDC23 Saber flashlight
Emitter: NiteLab UHi 25 (two)
Price in USD at publication time: $74.95
Cell: Internal
Runtime Graphs
LVP? Based on OLED – Yes
Switch Type: E-Switch
Quiescent Current (mA): ?
On-Board Charging? Yes
Charge Port Type: USB-C
Charge Graph
Power off Charge Port All except Turbo
Claimed Lumens (lm) 2500 (initial)
Measured Lumens (at 30s) 1099 for High (turbo steps down too fast for consideration)
Candela per Lumen 8.77
Claimed Throw (m) 280
Candela (Calculated) in cd (at 30s) 339lux @ 5.633m = 10757cd
Throw (Calculated) (m) 207.4 (74.1% of claim)^
Claimed CCT
Measured CCT Range (K) 5700-6000 Kelvin
Item provided for review by: NitecoreStore.com
All my Nitecore reviews!

^ Measurement disclaimer:  Testing flashlights is my hobby. I use hobbyist-level equipment for testing, including some I made myself. Try not to get buried in the details of manufacturer specifications versus measurements recorded here; A certain amount of difference (say, 10 or 15%) is perfectly reasonable.

What I like

  • Robust build – it’s stainless steel!
  • Not just stainless but also coated which probably makes it more durable
  • Slips so smoothly into the pocket
  • Dual switch interface is pretty good
  • OLED display seems adequately taken advantage of
  • USB-C Charging works great and is quick
  • Smart proximity sensor implementation (it’s not bothersome)
  • It’s nice and short!

What I don’t like

  • Battery is not replaceable
  • Positive Duv output (green)
  • Low CRI
  • Does not hit output claims
  • Turbo steps down soooo quickly.

Notes

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